Louis Rees-Zammit’s ex-NFL colleague signs for Premiership club
George Smith of Coventry Rugby during the warm up ahead of the The Championship match Coventry Rugby vs Ealing Trailfinders at Butts Park Arena, Coventry, United Kingdom, 1st October 2022(Photo by Nick Browning/News Images)
Northampton Saints have confirmed the signing of NFL International Player Pathway programme squad member George Smith, who plays as a second-row in rugby union.
The Premiership side have been blown away by the player’s physical testing and believe he can be a huge success for the 2023/24 domestic champions in the coming seasons.
Smith, who is 6’8″, actually joined the Saints during the final months of last season after he was snapped up by the English club whilst in the NFL Player Pathway programme.
138kg second-row
He’s played for Coventry at Championship level in the past and of course has trained alongside Louis Rees-Zammit and former Saint Harry Mallinder in the United States.
“George’s superpower is that he is 6ft 8in and he can move really quickly,” said a delighted Northampton director of rugby Phil Dowson on his 138kg new signing.
“The guy is unbelievably physical. When he first arrived, we tested him and his power-per-kilogram scores were incredible – the best we have seen in years.
“He is a bright lad and got stuck in from the word go. We’ve got someone who is physical, smart and can play the game.”
Dowson added: “George comes from a totally different background, there’s no academy history for him. He played well for Coventry in the Premiership Rugby Cup against Saracens and also scored against Gloucester.”
Smith played in the fifth tier of English rugby for Old Redcliffians before moving to Coventry which of course preceded his decision to enter the NFL player pathway.
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However, it was while on the NFL’s International Player Pathway programme that the Saints approached the lock and he decided to take up the Premiership side’s offer.
“I was out in America but it just wasn’t really for me,” he said. “I wanted to pursue rugby more than American Football. Shieldsy [Paul Shields, Head of Recruitment and Retention] rang me up asking if I wanted to come in, train with the boys and see if it was the right fit. It felt like home from day one.
“Everyone was really welcoming and Phil Dowson made it clear he wanted me to sign, so it was a good first few days. I don’t want to be playing anywhere else.
“I took away a lot of things from the NFL experience. I am a much better athlete now than I was six, seven months ago. In terms of my athletic development, it was massive. It has only pushed me to become bigger, stronger and quicker.”
As mentioned, Smith arrived during the tail-end of last term when Northampton were pushing for domestic and European glory, something which has spurred him on.
“I have learned lots of things during my time so far with Saints,” he said. “The environment was so competitive at the time, which is what really helped me settle in really well because I love competition. It was quite easy to get stuck in with people, that was made easy because of the stage they were in, in their season with everyone wanting to get better.
“I hope my time spent with the boys and in the environment at the back end of this season will give me an advantage to hit the ground running when we return for pre-season.”